SNIP Six months into his papacy, Pope Francis sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic church on Thursday with the publication of his remarks that the church had grown obsessed with abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and that he had chosen not to talk about those issues despite recriminations from critics.

His Holiness seems to be living in an alternate universe. Most peoples' connection with Church doctrine comes in the form of Mass homilies. When was the last time you heard a homily on abortion, contraception or homosexual behavior. I don't see the "obsession"!

I see clearly, the pope continues, that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds . And you have to start from the ground up.

I know what the Pope means here, and hes right: there is so very much more to Christianity than its teachings on sexuality and abortion. But this is where I think he goes badly wrong: his remarks will be received as the Pope saying that this stuff doesnt matter all that much. Francis cant claim he was misquoted or that the article gave the wrong emphasis, because he personally approved it before publication. He may not have intended it this way, but it will be taken as such by a people, especially in Europe and North America, who have closed their hearts and minds to the Churchs unchanging message on these topics, precisely because these are the hardest things for modern people to accept.

Look at the weight the media, who amplify his words, put on the homosexuality, contraception, and abortion parts of a very long interview. The world wants to be told, Its okay, do what you like. He no doubt doesnt mean at all for that to be the lesson of his words, but thats how they will be received.

From his past comments it seems to me that the Pope is just as “obsessed” by these topics to have discussed them at length. How about the Pope really putting his money where his mouth is and getting rid of some of his blasphemous bishops?

This guy could be running the RNC. Seems uncomfortable with people who are actually trying to abide by their moral principles. They are inconvenient to the hierarchy’s obsessive desire for “inclusiveness” that has ruined virtually all of the mainline Protestant churches.

17
posted on 09/20/2013 7:23:24 AM PDT
by littleharbour
("All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree. ~ James Madison)

Maybe Francis doesn’t attend Mass on a regular basis. I only remember one visiting priest warning us about gays getting into the priesthood. i am also a three time Grand Knight. I NEVER heard anything about Contraception and we only talk about Abortion when we make a donation the the Respect Life committee and add something to the end of the Pledge of Allegiance. (You’ll have to become a 1st Degree Knight to find out what it is).

I have a couple of questions. If any of you kind Catholic folks will take the time to answer, I’d really appreciate it.

1. Why do y’all call pope “Holy” “Father” even with capital H and F? Being a non-Catholic, I don’t understand how a person, an elected/selected(?) official of a church organization, could be addressed as such. To me, there is only one Holy Father and He is our God.

2. Why do you pray TO saints? After all, they were human beings here. I pray only to God in Jesus’ Name.

3. My neighbor told me that she does not believe Jesus had brothers. I don’t want to get into a religious discussion with a neighbor, so I don’t ask her.

These are sincere questions and I am not being sarcastic.
Thanks in advance.

In the mainstream Church, I’ve only heard one homily that referenced contraception, and that was in the early 1990’s( a very courageous young priest at a Saturday Evening Mass; you know that would he said didn’t go over well with the flock!). I’ve heard condemnations of contraception at Latin Masses celebrated by groups like the Fraternity of St. Peter, but those priests were preaching to the choir.

Exactly. I hear christians and republicans being criticized all the time for 'obsessing' on gays and abortion, when it is obviously very much in the interests of the left to keep these issues alive - the right is simply responding to their constant attacks.

The left intentionally leaves the right with two alternatives - fight or surrender. The Pope seems to be endorsing the latter.

“1. Why do yall call pope Holy Father even with capital H and F? Being a non-Catholic, I dont understand how a person, an elected/selected(?) official of a church organization, could be addressed as such. To me, there is only one Holy Father and He is our God.

2. Why do you pray TO saints? After all, they were human beings here. I pray only to God in Jesus Name.

3. My neighbor told me that she does not believe Jesus had brothers. I dont want to get into a religious discussion with a neighbor, so I dont ask her.”

You don’t believe these things because you are not Catholic. So stay not Catholic and you won’t have to worry about any of the above.

32
posted on 09/20/2013 7:53:55 AM PDT
by flaglady47
(When the gov't fears the people, liberty; When the people fear the gov't, tyranny.)

1. Why do yall call pope Holy Father even with capital H and F? Being a non-Catholic, I dont understand how a person, an elected/selected(?) official of a church organization, could be addressed as such. To me, there is only one Holy Father and He is our God.

2. Why do you pray TO saints? After all, they were human beings here. I pray only to God in Jesus Name.

Do you recite a creed which includes a belief in "the communion of saints?" If so, that will be good common ground for understanding. Just as we ask each other in the flesh for prayers (the Church Militant), so we do with those we believe to already be in Heaven (the Church Triumphant)... we are asking for their spiritual support. Even when it comes to the much-maligned "Hail Mary", we ask Her to "... pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death."

3. My neighbor told me that she does not believe Jesus had brothers. I dont want to get into a religious discussion with a neighbor, so I dont ask her.

The early Church Fathers (who were closer to the actual events) declared that Jesus had no brothers or sisters through Mary. That isn't to say that Joseph didn't have children prior to his betrothal to Mary (he was fairly old) or cousins. In the Aramaic, these relationships don't have unique identifications... they are simply siblings of some relation.

I hope this helps and that I have not written anything that would cause someone to stumble. Please forgive typos... on an iPhone.

35
posted on 09/20/2013 8:11:30 AM PDT
by pgyanke
(Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)

Seems uncomfortable with people who are actually trying to abide by their moral principles.

Yes. So does another person, namely Christ Jesus. Have you ever heard His scathing words to the Scribes and the Pharisees who were "actually trying to abide by their moral principles?" Self-attained moral uprightness only goes so far, but the forgiveness of sin in Christ Jesus for poor sinners - including those who by all accounts are "on the other side" - lifts a broken body of death into the highest heaven. "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'"

Don't read the Times analysis of the Pope's words or message. The Church's stance has not changed. He said, in one portion of the speech, that these handful of issues are not the only things that we should be talking about. Basically, it's all that AND MORE that needs to be said and done.

The Times would have you think the Pope is okay with gay marred priests paying for abortions.

Plenty of Libs like to remind me that Jesus went to me sinners. They conveniently forget the part where he urges them to turn away from sin. He didn't condemn the adulterer -- but he did tell her to go and sin no more.

I think he is barking up the wrong tree. The embrace of a more conservative, less Vatican II, papacy has been very popular except among the left and those that despise the church, always have and always will.

People look to the church for moral stability, not revolution theology, not trendy cultural fashion, nor internationalism outside of their faith.

Thus the papacy should call for greater charity from the wealthy, not higher taxes on the wealthy to supposedly benefit the poor; they should call for governments to reform and embrace the faith, and by doing so to invite prosperity, not for refugees to flee their homes and emigrate to other lands; and the papacy should have long ago learned that socialism is a dead end that causes suffering, not liberation.

42
posted on 09/20/2013 8:55:39 AM PDT
by yefragetuwrabrumuy
(The best War on Terror News is at rantburg.com)

Whoa! Haven't you heard that the Pope is infallible? Everything he says comes directly from the mouth of God. /sarcasm

This isn't Catholic doctrine.

"There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church. ....As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do." -- Abp Fulton J. Sheen

How do you square your sarcasm with the Scripture quote in the next post?

46
posted on 09/20/2013 9:09:15 AM PDT
by pgyanke
(Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)

The Pope may be the anti Christ?? I have no idea, but let`s cut to the chase. The Pope is and never was Holy! There is no mention of the Pope in my Bible, that I read daily. He is and has always been just a man.

There is only one mediator between man and God, and that is Christ Jesus! We are not to pray to Mary, though she is very special no doubt, but we don’t ask Mary into our life, Mary did not die on cross for our sins

There is no purgatory , we are not to pray to man, as do so many Catholics, praying to so called “Saints”

A Saint is just a simple Christian, this whole idea about Sainting people as the Catholic Church does is simply ridiculous and NOT Scriptural

Not Catholic, but only a Christian, but time for people to see that the Catholic Church is dead, just like most/all of main line Churches

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